Commentary

Wildcats-Cards: Tale of the tape

Originally Published: March 29, 2012

Bitter rivals Kentucky and Louisville will play in an NCAA tournament national semifinals game at the New Orleans Superdome on Saturday. It will be the first intrastate matchup at the Final Four since Cincinnati defeated Ohio State in championship games in 1961 and '62.

How do they measure up? Let's break down the matchup:

Tale of the tape: Final Four -- Kentucky versus Louisville

	Kentucky	Louisville
Location	Lexington	Louisville
City population	295,803	741,096
County	Fayette	Jefferson
University founded	1865	1798
Enrollment	28,000	22,249
Politics	51.7 percent of Fayette County voted for Obama in '08	55.5 percent of Jefferson County voted for Obama in '08
Preferred distance	1 1/16th mile	1 mile
Most famous native	George Clooney	Muhammad Ali
Less famous native	Jim Varney	Fuzzy Zoeller
Beverage of choice	Wild Turkey	Mint julep
Carrier of choice	UPS	Emery Worldwide
Greatest culinary contribution	Long John Silver's	Papa John's
Record	36-2	30-9
ESPN.com preseason ranking	2	9
Final Fours	15	9
National championships	7	2
Slogan	"Louisville doesn't exist."	"Neither do Calipari's previous Final Four trips."
Best pro prospect	Anthony Davis	Peyton Siva
Glue guy	Darius Miller	Kyle Kuric
Spark plug	Doron Lamb	Russ Smith
In-state players	4	3
In-state starters	0	0
Best rivalry win	85-81 win at Freedom Hall in 1986-87	80-68 victory in 1983 Mideast Region finals
Worst rivalry loss	79-76 loss at Rupp Arena in 1997-98	Fouling UK guard Patrick Sparks in 2005
Biggest shot	Scott Padgett's 3-pointer versus Duke in 1998 Elite Eight	Tony Branch's jumper versus Kansas State in 1980 NCAA tournament
Best hair	Anthony Davis' unibrow	Rick Pitino's slicked-back mane
Best player moniker	"Sky" Walker	"Never Nervous Pervis"
Best team moniker	"The Unforgettables"	"Doctors of Dunk"
Best team	1995-96	1979-80
Most famous coach	Adolph Rupp	Denny Crum
Less famous coach	Billy Gillispie	Lawrence Apitz
Best player (before 3-pointer)	Dan Issel	Darrell Griffith
Best player (post 3-pointer)	Jamal Mashburn	Pervis Ellison
Most famous female fan	Ashley Judd	Diane Sawyer
Most hated player	Christian Laettner	Rex Chapman
Most hated coach	Pitino	Joe B. Hall
Best pro	Issel	Griffith
Worst pro	Sam Bowie	"Out of Service" Pervis
Points per game	77.9	68.4
Opponents' points per game	60.6	60.8
Rebounds per game	38.9	37.7
Assists per game	13.4	13.5
Field goal percentage	48.8	42.5
3-point FG percentage	37.8	31.7
Free throw percentage	72.7	68.8